Mavs HC Jason Kidd: Luka Doncic 'came out clean' from Game 4 return

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Mavericks HC Jason Kidd: All-Star Luka Doncic 'came out clean' from Game 4 return

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 4/25/22

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic made his return to the court on Saturday, but the Utah Jazz were still able to eke out a 100-99 victory in Game 4 to even up the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series. The good news for Dallas fans is the former Rookie of the Year apparently came out of the contest unscathed in his recovery from his calf injury.

Luka Doncic "came out clean" from his Game 4 return, Mavs coach Jason Kidd says. No specifics provided on Game 5 minutes restrictions.

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From a minutes played perspective, Doncic seemed to have little to no restrictions in Game 4, as he took the floor for 34 minutes (he averaged 35 minutes per game in the regular season). The Slovenian guard finished the loss with a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds on 11-for-21 shooting (4-for-10 on three-pointers), while adding four assists and two steals.

Doncic suffered a left calf strain during the Mavericks' regular-season finale against the San Antonio Spurs when he appeared to land awkwardly after leaving his feet to make a pass.

During the regular season, the three-time All-Star posted 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 8.7 assists, a career-high 1.2 steals and 35.4 minutes per game across 65 contests. He registered a .457/.353/.744 shooting line, with his 35.3% success rate from downtown marking a new career best as well.

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